Aaron Collins' Mixed Chapters 12 and 13
by Psychoflop
Summary: The end of the adventure and a visit to Aaronworld-Prime


Chapter 12: Ace-2-4, The 51-on-1 handicap match 26 years in the making.

The inter-dimensional being threw down first, attempting a stamp kick to Aaron-Prime's knee (that hit him hard enough to essentially render his entire right leg inoperative). Lindsay connected with a Right Jab to the chin (that wasn't very hard because she was 58 and all) which the inter-dimensional being responded by kicking Lindsay between the eyes (with the foot coming from behind his own head), knocking her out cold. Gregg then connected with a kick to the left side of the inter-dimensional being (hard enough where if it had been a human opponent, he would have broken at least 2 ribs). The inter-dimensional being however, was already in mid-roundhouse (connecting with Gregg's left temple).

The Inter-dimensional being decide to be more on the offensive, landing a double dropkick on David F. And Buckethead. The inter-dimensional being kicked himself back up and tried again, only this time he was grabbed in mid-air by Trevor and Mike (who promptly threw him back down on his ass). The inter-dimensional being kicked himself back up again, then threw a successful haymaker punch at John (which knocked John, Mike and Trevor down like bowling pins). Leila recalled one of her other selves and made a perfect spinning heel kick (breaking the inter-dimensional being's nose into 3 places) which only served to anger the inter-dimensional being enough to grab Leila's right arm and throw his own elbow at her hard enough to connect in the back of the head, putting her to sleep. Phoenix quickly thought it would be a great idea to steal an idea from the inter-dimensional being's playbook as she tried to grab his arm. But all that lead to was the Inter-dimensional being running up the wall in order to reverse positions with Phoenix, then throwing Phoenix into the same wall.

"Shit." declared Sherry as she took the non-violent route in the fight and just dragged the people who were knocked out or injured to safety. "The inter-dimensional being knows parkour. Now how do I know what Parkour is? Must be 1 of the other me's."

Jen L. Used the opening that the inter-dimensional being provided to sweep the inter-dimensional being's leg, bringing him down momentarily. After kicking himself up again, he threw a left hook at Jen L. And a right hook at Jason, knocking them both out. Solveig flew into a blind rage, grabbed the inter-dimensional being and started wrestling him around on the floor which ended when the inter-dimensional being kicked Solveig twice in the face (again, from behind his own head but this time on the ground). Adam grabbed the inter-dimensional being by his left ankle while the inter-dimensional being was using his right leg to roundhouse kick Adam in the head (while still laying down on the floor in the beginning to standing up at the end). Dan and Laura X. Punching the inter-dimensional being in the back of the head simultaneously.

The inter-dimensional merely smiled and successfully landed jabs on Dan and Laura X, knocking them out. Angie tried to throw a right hook of her own, but the inter-dimensional being caught her in mid-punch and threw her through a (purely decorative) window. Ricky broke off 1 of the table legs from 1 of the poker tables and connected square on the inter-dimensional being's back. The inter-dimensional being turned around, grabbed Ricky and wrenched his right shoulder completely out of the socket. Justin, Jessica, Krystal, Courtney, Laurie and Tara all threw punches at the inter-dimensional being at the same time. The inter-dimensional being bent what everyone else in the room believed to be the laws of Physics by somehow dodging all 6, then connecting with 6 punches of his own on each of them.

"Oh great, one more advantage that he has over us." remarked Sherry as she finished getting Aaron-prime's leg semi-functional again via a quick physio technique.

Holly then landed a headbutt on the inter-dimensional being's face, followed by Tamara and Karl. Ricky needed to use 1 of the walls to ram his shoulder back into the socket (the subsequent screaming could not be understated and was understood by all who saw the shoulder dislocate). The inter-dimensional being by now had returned the headbutts to Holly, Tamara and Karl. Kate and Thom then nodded at each other, threw simultaneous punches at the Inter-dimensional being which were grabbed, thrown away, and then the inter-dimensional being grabbed Kate and Thom by their respective throats...

...And began trying to rip them out with each hand. Sections of the poker room began falling apart, the stability of the entire pocket universe began to collapse around everyone. But all Candy Olsen could think about was wondering why a pocket universe...needed rebar inside the walls. A few others also began to think that rebar being there was unusual. Candy and Melinda ripped out pieces of rebar from the destabilizing walls (with each piece being about 3 feet long) and rammed them into the inter-dimensional being's eyes. The trauma from the rebar forced the inter-dimensional being to let go of Kate and Thom (whose throats were still in tact). They caught their breath long enough to see the inter-dimensional somehow land his trademark behind the head kicks to Cindy and Andrey (despite being blind). Heather, Aaron L., Julie, Allan, Chiara, Laura B., Damon, Harley, Megan, Joe, James, David K., Fabio, Ivy, Jen G., Isaac and Elizabeth took their cues from Candy and Melinda, ripped out whatever rebar that they could find in the room and lunged each piece into whatever part of the inter-dimensional being's body that was closest to them.

All of this, while Aaron-prime had an idea. "The first 2 pieces are not in deep enough in his eyes to kill him." He then charged the inter-dimensional being, grabbed the rebar and shoved it deeper into the inter-dimensional being's head. The inter-dimensional being collapsed to the floor, only saying "Oh well. Once I die, there's no one left to keep the pocket universe together. I'll take you all with me in what you would call...death." before he died.

Pieces of the room fell off faster now, exposing more fragments of Nth dimensional space. They all silently accepted that they were all going to die and stood in awe of the space between spaces that was becoming more and more exposed. As best as they knew, it would be thousands, if not millions of years before the human race was going to see what they were seeing again.

But suddenly, the Casino had returned to normal. And in the place of 1 dead inter-dimensional being, stood 6 live ones. "We are so sorry that we didn't come sooner, members of the Aaronverse. Some of us went rogue upon finding out how many Aaron's could become other Aaron's and decided to round you all up for execution. If it weren't for the technical difficulties on other parts of the multiverse, namely the problems with Galifrey, we would've stopped this before it started."

The adrenaline wore off for Aaron-Prime, and he limped his way over to the 6 inter-dimensional beings in front of him and his friends. "I can't forgive you for this...GROSS...mismanagement of resources and, for lack of a better word, staff. 4 of my friends are dead, half of us are injured, and we have no way to get back to our homes. Quite frankly, I think it's YOUR multiverse passports that need revoking. In fact, I say us 51 should kill you 6 right here, right now."

1 of the (apparently) good inter-dimensional beings, took over the dialogue "We have already reversed the deaths of your friends." He then snapped his fingers, and every injury was instantly healed. "As for the way home, the other Aarons turned on our backup transporter in what you call 10 minutes ago. The 4 not-dead friends were the proverbial guinea pigs and I think the non-prime Aaron's are heading to their homes now. A bit tedious for a group as large as yours from so many worlds, I must confess, sending each of you home world by world but we're occupied with many other worlds and 'verses at the moment. Having said that, we will stay here until we know that all of you have returned to your respective homes. And the Aaronverse will not only remain in 1 piece, but it will expand as much or as little as you, Aaron-Prime see fit."

Aaron-prime had a look in his eye that showed that he had every intention of leading his friends to another war. Until Isaac walked forward and whispered "They're trustworthy. You kill them and we're never going home again."

Aaron-prime nodded, "Always a voice of reason, in any of my worlds Isaac. OK, we'll leave but for your sakes, pray that we never see each other again."

The inter-dimensional beings nodded at Aaron-prime in unison, agreeing with Aaron-prime's warning "Safe journeys, to each of you. And...nice work, killing 1 of our own so that we didn't have to."

Aaron-prime lead his friends out of the poker room, for the last time. Only saying "47th door on the right, shouldn't be too much trouble all things considered."

Aaron-prime momentarily stumbled, Mike and Joe helped him back up.

"Are you OK, Aaron?" asked Angie.

"Someone just died on my world after a long fight with brain cancer. 1 of the members of my family that I ever actually loved. I don't know how I know this, being that I'm completely outside of the multidimensional space-time continuum and all. But I know it, and most of the...human side of me...went with him. Let's just get back to our homes, before I fall apart."

Finding their way back to the hallway of doors was not easy, and somehow was made harder by the lack of other beings in the casino.

"I suppose with the tournament over and us on our way out, there's no need for decorations." thought Aaron-Prime.

"So...we really are just characters in a book?" asked Megan.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." answered Aaron-prime.

"I was hoping that that was a lie told by the inter-dimensional beings who captured us." added Julie. With the rest of the group making noises, implying that they all felt the same way.

Aaron-Prime stopped everyone dead in their tracks. "I created...well, wrote all of you because all things that can happen, do happen. All Aarons (including me) however, have 1 key thing in common: Socio-phobia because I cannot fathom a world where I want to belong in society."

The members of the Aaronverse looked at him strangely. They noticed that he was actually just as social or even more social than their Aarons back home. If only they knew...

"Maybe we were better off if the Inter-dimensional being had just finished us off. I can't live the rest of my life knowing that I'm a fictional character." said Justin.

Arguments ensued between the entire Aaronverse. Some actually wanted to be erased from existence now, until Aaron-prime put his fist through a wall. Everyone went silent, as Aaron-prime spoke again.

"Yes, you're all fictional characters. But on Aaronworld-prime, you're all very real and I love you all very, very much. That being said, you guys are going to have to leave your world's Aarons alone for a while...maybe permanently. We're becoming progressively more...disillusioned with our respective worlds and the people in them. In fact, some of you will not be used in future stories at all."

The Aaronverse didn't even need to discuss it. They understood that all of the Aarons were not people people. Aaron-prime then began humming a tune, a tune that only a few of them recognized. After a minute or 2, they resumed walking while Aaron-prime began singing:

_Ol' Aaronverse was summoned around_

_To this casino like a big playground_

_When suddenly Isaac burst from the shade_

_And hit Damon Newall with a poker grenade_

_Harley got pissed and began to play,_

_But didn't expect to be blocked by David K._

_Who proceeded to lose to some Candy_

_Who re-met her best friend named Courtney_

_And then Buckethead played guitar notes_

_While Mike dreamed of Long Island boats_

_But before the poker game, was to end _

_A Lioness came from around the bend_

_Taking out some players from the Aaronverse_

_And winning the entire tournament purse_

_But the prize just turned out to be a lie_

_We stabbed our host right through the eyes_

_This was the ultimate showdown of the Aaronverse Destiny_

_Good guys, bad girls, a poker game and some people from yfe_

_And we just barely survived, heading home we will soon be_

_This was the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny_

_Heather took a bite out of Holly Rapp_

_We'll likely need a dimensional map_

_Karl Lean sat near Mr. Ricky Smith_

_Phoenix and Jessica seated with _

_A Vamp, A Dazzler, A Card Shark_

_And a Vietnamese friend with bite and bark_

_But Table 8's got a dorkriver_

_And 9's got the metalhead music giver_

_Then Robomom came up from behind_

_And took out my mom with glory in mind_

_Chiara and Fabio from different worlds_

_And a Dotson romance, was quite whirled_

_Cindy and Tara never sat down_

_At the same table, from different towns_

_Gregg talked straightedge in the air_

_And Sherry Ripa gave her poker face stare_

_This was the ultimate showdown of the Aaronverse Destiny_

_Good guys, bad girls, a poker game and a legend named Joe P_

_And we just barely survived, heading home we will soon be_

_This was the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny_

_The game played on, stress levels near hell_

_Even for the lady, called Solveig Langhelle_

_Adam Debideen and Andrey Iskanov_

_Played poker in...the daze of Megan Hayes_

_We fell to the ground, both women and men_

_Even the longest tenured friend, David Flannagan_

_And the one with similar name, Aaron Langemann_

_Or the King of Palmdale, Ivy Calvin_

_Tina Doyle and Marcel Bulling_

_Susan Rhodes and Rob Wilkinson_

_Angie Michaud and Tamara Costa_

_Trevor Coulthurst and Melinda_

_John Luke, Justin Welsh and Julie Bourke_

_Kate Pelisek needs wine uncorked_

_Jen Lemons and Krystal Dinn_

_Are so tired, they need a bed to sleep in_

_We're heading back across the Aaronverse_

_Hoping our situation doesn't get worse_

_We came up against a being so fast_

_Chuck Norris would get kicked in the ass_

_It was the greatest poker the multiverse saw_

_With constant readers looking on in total awe_

_The fight raged on for many hours_

_A few lives changed inside this dark tower_

_The champion stood, the rest saw their better_

_Leila Bronnikova in a really cute sweater_

_This was the ultimate showdown of the Aaronverse Destiny_

_Good guys, bad girls, a poker game as far as the eye can see_

_And we just barely survived, heading home we will soon be_

_This was the ultimate showdown (the ultimate showdown)_

_This was the ultimate showdown (the ultimate showdown)_

_This was the ultimate showdown (the ultimate showdown)_

_...of the Aaronverse Destiny_

"It's not entirely accurate I must confess, but close enough for an improvised musical number." offered Aaron-prime, ever critical of his own work.

Laughs were shared by all as they reached the only open door in the hallway, there was only 1 copy of Aaron left in the room containing the. He was Aaron-1997 (He went to Bramalea Secondary School instead of being put in Turner Fenton Secondary School), and he looked happy to see them. He walked over, took Aaron-prime over to the main console and showed him around:

"This has already been calibrated for just our Aaronverse so you don't have to worry about sending anyone to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything" said Aaron-1997 as he pointed to a small screen with the word "Aaronverse." clearly lit up. Aaron-1997 continued "And you just manually type in the numbers for each Aaronworld that you need on this keypad. You must wait 1 minute between each transport, there's a 30 second delay to enter the transporter from the moment you turn it on and you can only send up to 4 people at a time per Aaronworld. Any Questions?"

Aaron-prime shook his head in decline as a voice came from the machine "Transporter, now recharged."

Aaron-1997 then pushed the keypad "OK, 1...9...9...7."

The Aarons silently nodded at each other, Aaron-1997 took a bow at the Aaronverse, and then he ran into the transporter. A blue vortex appeared to swallow him whole, and he was home almost immediately. Aaron-prime stared at his friends from other worlds before announcing "The fairest way I can send us all home is from highest numbered Aaronworld to lowest. So Courtney, you're leading off."

Courtney-1934 nodded and walked over to Candy, tears already filling her eyes.

"Promise me that you will find and befriend the me of your world." demanded Courtney.

"Only if you find me on yours." replied Candy.

They nodded, embraced and began crying lightly. After they let go, Courtney-1934 walked over to Aaron-prime and asked "Are Candy and I friends on a lot of your worlds?"

Aaron-prime nodded, "I've even just finished a story where you're both business partners who operate a vintage clothing store in Brooklyn primarily out of a large yellow vehicle that I've dubbed the 'banana van'."

Courtney nodded as Aaron-prime heard "Transporter, now recharged." Aaron-prime punched in 1934, hugged Courtney goodbye, then she walked over to the transporter. She entered it easily, closed the door behind her and waited for the blue vortex to appear. It wasn't long before it appeared, swallowed her whole, and sent her home.

Aaron-prime smiled, knowing that Aaron-1997's directions were great. He then ran some numbers in his head before saying "OK. I have 10 people to send back to Aaronworld-1924 so I'll have to do it in 3 trips. Mom, Damon, Harley and Andrey will go first."

Lindsay-1924 walked over to Laurie-1720, hugged her and said "Great to know that we know each other on other worlds."

Laurie nodded, only replying "Agreed. Safe journey home."

Damon said nothing, as he technically didn't really know anyone other than anyone he met during that birthday party at the Royal York.

Harley walked over to Joe, they shook hands and Harley said "A pity we didn't get a chance to play each other."

"Agreed." replied Joe.

Andrey needed a moment to pick his goodbye, but ultimately chose Julie. He walked over and whispered "If I'm on your world, try to get into 1 of his movies."

Julie frowned, only answering "No such thing as a moving picture in my world but I'll let him sketch me."

Andrey nodded in acceptance as the machine's voice spoke "Transporter, now recharged." All 4 of them hugged Aaron simultaneously as he punched in 1924 before entering the transporter. The blue vortex appeared shortly thereafter, swallowed all 4 of them and sent them home.

"4 down for Aaronworld-1924, 6 to go. OK, Aaron L., Ricky, Justin and Phoenix are next." said Aaron-prime.

Aaron L. Decided to say nothing to anyone, as he felt detached from the rest of the Aaronverse. Ricky walked over to Jenny G., tipped his hat at her and said "You dazzle in my world, too." Jenny G. Just blushed, not replying with words. Justin just kissed Krystal passionately, only adding "It's not cheating if it's just your husband from another world." Krystal merely laughed and nodded in response. Phoenix knew a few friends of Aaron's that were from other worlds, but she went for an unlikely one to say goodbye to:

"Thanks for being so damn genre savvy." said Phoenix to Isaac-1720.

"You're welcome, I guess." replied Isaac as the machine said "Transporter, now recharged."

Aaron-prime didn't need to punch in a new number this time, but accepted the hug from Phoenix followed by the handshakes from Justin, Ricky and Aaron L. They entered the transporter together, Aaron L. Stared at Ricky and said "I hope to never see you again. Not because I dislike you, but because whenever we're together my life changes forever. And people I know get hurt and put in weird situations." Ricky only laughed as he closed the transporter door. The blue vortex then appeared, and sent them home.

"OK, Chiara and Laura B. Are the last of Aaronworld-1924 to go."

Chiara smiled, walked over to Fabio, kissed him, then said "Like Justin said, It's not cheating if it's just another me from another world."

Laura B. Walked over to Elizabeth and hugged, saying nothing. Chiara then walked over to Aaron-prime and asked "So Italy really is independent on most of your worlds?"

Aaron-prime nodded saying "It is on your world, too. The French Republic was just a 1-time exception on Fabio's clockpunk world." Chiara exclaimed "Thank Gaia." as she hugged him. Laura B was then filled with terrified feelings as she approached Aaron-prime. Her question had to be whispered: "I'll be dead just days after I get back, won't I?"

Aaron-prime nodded, put a hand on her shoulder and said "You were going to die shortly after this anyway."

Laura B. Accepted that "At least I got 1 last great adventure before I passed on."

"And other you's will go on." replied Aaron-prime as "Transporter, now recharged." was heard again. Chiara and Laura B. Entered the transporter. Aaron-prime didn't need to punch in a new number and merely saw the blue vortex swallow 2 more of his friends, sending them home.

Aaron-prime needed to look at who was left for a minute before figuring out who was next. "Cindy, you're up now."

Cindy nodded, walked over to Tara and hugged her saying "You're every bit my daughter, regardless of world."

"See the you of my world soon, mom." replied Tara.

Cindy then walked over to Aaron-prime and asked "Does your world have Storage Wars Canada on TV?"

"No, I created it because it's a TV show that I want to see." replied Aaron-prime. Cindy smiled, nodded and boarded the transporter quickly after hearing "Transporter, now recharged." after a few moments, the blue vortex appeared, swallowed Cindy and sent her home.

Aaron-prime gazed at who was left in the Aaronverse, then announced "OK, there's a dozen of you from Aaronworld-1720 so we'll need 3 trips to send all of you home. Laurie, Adam, David F. and Sherry are up first."

Laurie walked over to Thom and asked "Do you ever get the feeling that we are practically neighbours on some other Aaronworld somewhere?"

Thom nodded, they hugged, and nothing else was said. Adam, David F. And Sherry kept quiet as they knew no one here outside of their world. When Laurie was finished, the 4 of them walked over to Aaron-prime.

"Thank you for writing about your mom's best friend multiple times." said Laurie, nearly in tears.

"My pleasure." said Aaron-prime with a smile.

"Thank you for squeezing me in too. If my mind is telling me correctly, I don't know many if anyone on any of your worlds that you've written about." said Sherry.

"No, you don't. The few we were connected to left me years ago." replied Aaron-prime.

"I suppose we're in similar boats?" asked Adam and David F. At the same time

"More or less." replied Aaron-prime.

"Transporter, now recharged." said by the transporter. Laurie, Adam, David F. And Sherry hugged Aaron-prime, entered the transporter, waited for the blue vortex, then vanished.

"OK. Trevor, Kate, Allan and James are the group that is up next." announced Aaron-prime.

Trevor used his brief time to walk over to Jen L.

"I don't think either of us exist on the other person's world. But we're friends on some world somewhere." opened Trevor.

"Yes, I'm certain of it." replied Jen L. As they hugged.

Kate felt compelled to walk over to Jessica, asking "Ever go diner hopping in Jersey?"

"No, the Jersey of my world is still British. But at least 1 other version of me has. Hopefully other versions of us will do it together some day." replied Jessica with a smile.

"It's a date." said Kate as they hugged.

Allan walked over to Thom and said "I guess there's nothing for us to say that my mom didn't just say to you a few minutes ago already."

"No, no there's not." replied Thom. They smiled and shook hands.

James walked over to Tamara, asking with reluctance "You're not from 1 of the worlds with Your Favorite Enemies in it, are you?"

Tamara shook her head while replying "No, and I thank Da Vinci for that everyday. They seem like such manipulative bastards."

They laughed and hugged at the same time as they heard "Transporter, now recharged." they walked over to their writer, Aaron-prime.

"I hope to keep handling you...socially." said Trevor, hoping he saved that statement from being a dirty euphemism.

"I just hope to keep handling you. But don't die on me again." added Kate.

"Take care, Aaron-prime." said Allan and James simultaneously.

"Bye guys." replied Aaron-prime as they hugged (happy that he didn't have to punch in a new number this time). They then boarded the transporter, waited for the blue vortex, then vanished.

"The last people of the Vodka Western world can go now. Krystal, Isaac, Jason and Melinda, you're up." said Aaron-prime flatly.

Isaac shrugged his shoulders, walked over to Karl and asked "Do you know what myspace is?"

"I could be a smartass and answer that literally. But, no. I think we did meet on that somewhere, someworld." replied Karl. They kept their distance, neither of them knew why. Jason walked over to Heather, only saying "Aaron's got a sense of humour, making you the pirate." Heather just shook her head as they hugged. Krystal and Melinda kept to themselves (as they knew no one else in the room that was left). The 4 of them then walked over to Aaron-prime to say goodbye:

"Are you finally going to tell me what heavy metal is?" asked Jason.

"Only that most versions of you love it." answered Aaron-prime

"Are you going to tell me why I'm so genre savvy?" asked Isaac.

"I could, but your mileage might vary on that trope." replied Aaron-prime. Melinda and Krystal still said nothing even as the 5 of them hugged as they heard "Transporter, now recharged." coming from the machine behind them. They parted ways with Aaron (who was once again happy that he didn't have to punch in a new number this time), boarded the transporter behind them, waited for the blue vortex and vanished."

Aaron-prime surveyed those who were left, quickly noticing 1 person from only a few worlds away from the one he just sent 12 people back to. "OK, Jenny G. You're up next."

Jenny de Grumbles walked over to the person she thought that she knew best. "Sorry about our argument when we first got here, David K."

"Don't worry about it, all of this is pretty bizarre." replied David K. Jenny G. Then walked over to Aaron-prime, asking "Am I blonde on any of your worlds?"

"You're blonde in most of them, actually." replied Aaron as they hugged. A few moments after Aaron-prime punched in 1715 they heard the by now familiar "Transporter, now recharged." to which Jenny G. Hurried to board the transporter, waited inside until the blue vortex appeared, then she vanished.

After a moment in order to analyze who was left, Aaron-prime punched in 1-6-2-0 and pointed at Mike. Mike nodded and walked over to John. "Sorry about the fight that we almost got into."

"Don't worry about it, get home soon. I think you're 1 of the Mike's with a new baby in their world."

Mike shook his head no, but knew that he was a father to more than 1 kid on other world's. He walked over to Aaron-prime and asked "I guess you write as hard as I hustle."

"Harder." replied Aaron-prime with a smile. "Transporter, now recharged."

"Take care, Mike."

"Keep writing, Aaron." said Mike as he jogged to the transporter, walked inside, waited for the blue vortex to appear, then vanished.

Aaron looked amongst the 2 dozen friends that were left, quickly figuring out who was next. He punched in 1-5-5-2 and announced, "OK Angie, you're next."

Angie just walked over to Aaron-prime, not knowing anyone else who was left. She didn't know what else to ask except "Do you love Angie-prime?"

Aaron-prime (to his credit) had been expecting her to ask a question like that. He had no answer prepared except, "Not physically, no. Once perhaps, but the trauma inside of me is too severe now."

Angie-prime nodded, as she could see in his eyes that he was too far gone psychologically to ever come close to being fully functional again. She was actually relieved to hear "Transporter, now recharged." and she waved goodbye to Aaron. Somehow, she made it into the transporter without anyone noticing that she was crying heavily. The blue vortex appeared, and she vanished a moment later.

Aaron-prime quickly punched in 1-5-1-6, announcing "More than half of you that are left are the clockpunkers. Let's see: Solveig, Gregg, Heather and Holly are up first."

They either only knew people from their own world, or people who had already left. They merely walked over to Aaron-prime and began their goodbyes:

"Take care my...straightedge brother." opened Gregg.

Aaron-prime laughed, answering with "Yes Gregg, the original Aaron is pure and sober too, so is the original Gregg."

"Farewell, Mr. Pirate." added Heather.

"Farewell, Miss Pirate." replied Aaron-prime with a sense of pride like he wanted to say this all of his life.

"Da Vinci Bless you." said Holly as she hugged Aaron-prime.

"Da Vinci bless you, too." said Aaron right back. "One of my better ideas, one of my better Holly copies."

"Why couldn't I be from a world that actually has a Norway?" asked Solveig.

Aaron-prime laughed hysterically as the now very familiar words of "Transporter, now recharged." came from the machine. Solveig, Gregg, Heather and Holly waved goodbye as they headed for the transporter. After a few moments, the blue vortex appeared and they vanished.

"OK. Megan, Tamara, Karl, Julie are up next as I don't have to push in a new Aaronworld this time."

Like the last 4, these 4 knew no one but their writer. They walked over to Aaron-prime quickly to say their goodbyes:

"Thanks for writing us, Aaron." opened Karl.

"My pleasure." said Aaron-prime, simply.

"Can you stop my chronic farting in your stories?" asked Megan. Before Aaron could respond, Julie replied for him "At least he doesn't write that your husband routinely hacks your, what did you call it? Oh right, facebook page and post...status updates that you have chronic diarrhoea all the time. I'm remembering another me, I think."

Aaron-prime turned to Tamara awkwardly, only saying "And before you complain about your artificial spine, I could've made you 1 of the you's that sends pictures of bats as Christmas cards."

...Tamara remained silent as they all heard "Transporter, now recharged." They didn't even bother hugging Aaron-prime as they headed for the transporter. After a couple of moments, they were swallowed by the blue vortex.

"OK. Leila, Jessica, Jen L. And Fabio are up next." announced Aaron-prime. Leila smiled and walked over to the man called Buckethead. "I'm not going to hurt you, sweet lord of Chickens." she whispered as she lifted just enough of the mask to kiss him on the lips. "You make beautiful music, ." she added as he began to cry. Jessica was already over by Aaron-prime before the other 3 joined them.

"Why didn't 1 of the other you's...have your way with me, that night?"

Aaron-prime nodded, expecting this question. "Because I have no clue as to what would happen if someone from Aaronworld A successfully impregnated someone from Aaronworld B and you already have Ryleigh...or in some cases, Riley on the majority of Aaronworlds. Also, my nose was bleeding pretty badly so I was exhausted"

Jessica nodded, satisfied (not to mention happy that her child was a constant across many worlds). Fabio was up next, saying "You need to be published on more Aaronworlds." to which Aaron-prime replied by simply nodding. Jen L. Was up third, asking "Are we going to a baseball game on some other world soon?"

Aaron-prime nodded "Oh, we are. And in 1 of the worlds where alcohol is legal, no less." Jen L. Was happy to hear that, to say the least. Leila gave Aaron-prime a big hug, whispering "I'm a little sad that I didn't get anything for winning the tournament but I'm happy for your writings." and Aaron-prime only responded "You're my biggest fan, I think." as the familiar "Transporter, now recharged." came from the machine. The 4 of them waved goodbye to Aaron-prime, and he reciprocated just as they were going inside. After a couple of moments, the blue vortex appeared. It swallowed them instantly.

"You're the last of the clockpunkers, Elizabeth." announced Aaron-prime. Elizabeth walked over to him (not knowing anyone else that was left) and offered an apology. "I'm sorry that I knocked out your mom."

Aaron-prime shrugged, and said nothing at all before hearing "Transporter, now recharged." They hugged goodbye, and Elizabeth walked over to the transporter. She got on board like she was a passenger on the vehicles that she wound back home. After a few moments, the blue vortex appeared and swallowed her home.

"OK. Each of you that's left have different numbers and will be sent home individually from now on. Ivy, you're up next." announced Aaron-prime as he punched in 1-4-0-5. Ivy technically didn't know anyone who was left from his own world, but knew that other Ivy's knew other Dan's and Laura's. Naturally, he went over to them.

"Do I buy storage lockers on either of your worlds?" asked Ivy.

"Not to my knowledge." replied Dan.

"I have no idea either." added Laura X.

"Well, I know that other me's are happy to know other you's" said Ivy in response. Dan and Laura X. Smiled and nodded before Ivy walked over to Aaron.

"I was about to go to the hall of fame on my world..." started Ivy.

"You won't miss it. This machine seems to automatically know the dates and times we all left and calibrates accordingly. I'd be lying if I said I understood all of the aspects of this thing, but I'm grateful for the calibrations nonetheless." finished Aaron-prime.

"Transporter, now recharged."

"That's my cue. Take care Aaron."

"Same to you Ivy."

They shook hands and Ivy boarded the transporter. After a few moments, the blue vortex came and swallowed him whole.

"Thom, you're next." announced Aaron-prime as he punched in 1-3-7-7. Thom walked over to Buckethead, for reasons only the 2 of them understood.

"You've earned my admiration and respect sir. Have a safe journey home." said Thom.

Buckethead (as per usual), said nothing. He didn't have to as Thom knew Buckethead would say the same thing. Thom then walked over to Aaron-prime.

"I suppose you're not allowed to tell me what Thom-prime does?" asked Thom.

"You suppose correctly." answered Aaron-prime. "Transporter, now recharged." came from the machine almost immediately after. Thom and Aaron shook hands and Thom boarded the transporter. A few moments later, the blue vortex swallowed him whole."

Aaron-prime punched in 1-2-6-9 and announced "OK Candy, you're next."

Candy walked over to Joe with a big smile on her face. "If I couldn't make the final table. I'm glad that you did."

"Thank you, a pity I didn't win the whole tourney despite the prize being a big bag of nothing." replied Joe as they hugged goodbye. Candy then walked over to Aaron-prime with the same smile still attached to her.

"Thank you for the greatest time a girl's ever had." said Candy.

"That was more our captors than me, but you're welcome." replied Aaron-prime.

Candy now knew that this Aaron truly was more detached from people than his copies, but didn't say anything as she would've been drowned out by "Transporter, now recharged." Candy merely hugged Aaron-prime and quickly boarded the transporter while fighting back tears of her own.

"Whatever is broken inside Aaron-prime, can never be fixed." she whispered as the blue vortex appeared, taking her home.

Aaron-prime punched in 1-1-1-6 while announcing "OK John, you're up next."

John nodded and walked over to Joe.

"You're a legend in my world too. You're one of my world's most sought after painters."

Joe chuckled slightly "I suppose Aaron would write it so that my love for art is multiversal. You're a great auctioneer in my world, for what it's worth."

They smiled, shook hands and John walked over to Aaron-prime.

"Why does my world have no books?" asked John.

"I was bored and needed a change." replied Aaron-prime shortly before the familiar "Transporter, now recharged." was heard. John and Aaron shook hands and John boarded the transporter. A few moments later, the blue vortex appeared. Swallowing John whole and sending him home.

Aaron-prime punched in 1-0-8-3 while announcing "OK Laura Dotson, you're up."

Laura merely grinned, making an announcement "Thanks to Justin and Krystal, It's time that this lady gets paid."

Laura then turned around and kissed Dan, long and passionately.

"True love is multiversal, um, Laura, you're gonna miss your ride home."

Laura (VERY reluctantly) stopped, walked over, hugged Aaron while whispering "Thank you, Aaron. For letting other me's love other him's"

"Transporter, now recharged."

"You're welcome. Now go home."

Laura nodded and boarded the transporter. A few moments later, the blue vortex appeared and swallowed her whole.

Aaron-prime then punched in 900 while announcing "OK Joe, you're next."

Joe knew no one that was left, so he just walked over to Aaron-prime.

"It's amazing, I've read about the Einstein-Rosen bridge but never thought it would be possible, much less practical and already in use by another form of life in my lifetime." opened Joe

"I've been thinking the same thing since we entered this room. It's even safe for human use, which has always been my main concern regarding it."

"It should've been my main concern too, now that you mention it."

"Transporter, now recharged."

"Anyways, farewell original Aaron."

"Take care, legend."

Joe and Aaron hugged and Joe quickly left for the transporter. A few moments later, he smiled. He was now going in the Einstein-Rosen bridge, concluding a legend for the legend.

Aaron-prime punched in 8-9-9 while announcing "OK Dan, you're next."

Dan nodded, looked at the other 4 people who were left and only knowing Aaron walked over to him.

"You might want to rub your lips with a tissue or something." opened Aaron-prime.

"Oh...thanks." replied Dan awkwardly who took out a handkerchief and did as suggested. He had a lot of lipstick on and if he went back home and didn't remember Laura, well, he would have a lot of awkward explaining to do.

"Transporter, now recharged."

"Bye, Aaron."

"Bye, Dan."

Dan then shook Aaron's hand and he boarded the transporter. A few moments later, the blue vortex appeared and swallowed him whole.

Aaron-prime punched in 7-3-8 and pointed at the man called Buckethead. Buckethead just walked over to Aaron and they hugged until "Transporter, now recharged." Buckethead then left his guitar behind (knowing that he would have some explaining to do if he brought it home with him as his world lacked electricity) and boarded the transporter. A few moments later, the blue vortex appeared, swallowing him whole.

David K. And Tara then walked over to Aaron simultaneously as he punched in 6-5-4, as they were the only 2 left and they didn't know each other.

"So who's next, mate?" asked David K.

"You are." replied Aaron-prime.

"Splendid. Pity we didn't play together, Tara."

"Likewise, I was hoping to meet more of Aaron's friends during the tournament." replied Tara.

"You should've, as the LCD screen in the poker room told me that you made final table." added Aaron-prime.

"Yeah, I was out early. Damn Candy and her quads." exclaimed David K. While jokingly shaking his fist in the air.

"Transporter, now recharged."

David K. Shook hands with both Tara and Aaron before boarding the transporter. A few moments later, the blue vortex appeared and swallowed him whole.

Aaron-prime began punching in 5-9-3 when Tara noticed something that Aaron-prime had made some effort from hiding from his friends.

Scars...scars almost everywhere on Aaron-prime's body. Not on his face but, on his neck (that extended down his back and chest under his shirt) and most importantly, his wrists.

"You're not going back to the most ideal world, are you? Or even a decent one?" asked Tara.

Aaron-prime knew what she was alluding to, but elected not to reveal anything about Aaronworld-prime than was necessary.

"I'm going to where I deserve to be. These scars are old ones, and where I'm going has vast mountains and forests in all directions. I'm as close to constant happiness as my brain will let me have."

Tara nodded in acceptance and hugged Aaron as "Transporter, now recharged." was heard.

"We love you, Aaron."

"I love you all too, in my own way."

Tara smiled and headed for the transporter. A few moments later, the blue vortex appeared and sent her home.

Aaron-prime could finally panic without any of his friends from other worlds seeing him. He had been asking himself something in the back of his mind since he began sending everyone home: "How can I punch in the word prime when it's a numeric keypad? It's not like a phone where each digit represents a few letters. How will I ever get home?"

Just then, a voice from 1 of the inter-dimensional beings was heard in Aaron-prime's mind. "For all prime worlds, punch in 0000."

"OK. That makes sense. I want your word that this place is destroyed the second I leave."

"You have it. This place was so unstable that your friends were seeing other versions of themselves and each other constantly. We can't have that happen again."

Aaron-prime punched in 0-0-0-0 and waited around awkwardly for a minute or so before "Transporter, now recharged." He then ran into the transporter and was thrilled to see the blue vortex appear beneath him. The sensations he experienced inside the wormhole were similar to the ones he had when the evil Inter-dimensional being almost unravelled him. He was bombarded by seeing several thousand worlds at once, but knowing that none of them were in danger of being destroyed was enough to get him through the journey home.

The remaining inter-dimensional beings joined hands and destroyed the pocket universe around them with thought. When it was nearly gone, they vanished and let the rest of the damage run its' course.

Aaron-prime on the other hand, arrived home in almost the same situation he was in when he was in the inter-dimensional jail.

Chapter 13: Pocket Jacks, An epilogue on Aaronworld-Prime

Aaron-prime had put his pen down, finishing his story of mixed poker outside the multidimensional space-time continuum.

"I love it when my stories crack 100,000 words."

He was in a room with all white walls, 1 window overlooking the Rocky Mountains on the north wall, a large mirror on the east wall, a steel door on the south wall, and boxes upon boxes stacked on top of each other on the south wall. He put his bed in the middle of the room, and one would still have 7-8 feet from each edge of the bed to the wall.

Aaron-prime walked over to his window and through the metal wiry caging between his face and the glass, he noticed a Green Toyota Prius in the parking lot with the license plate "DR LB 1"

"Good, she'll be here soon enough."

He organized the pages as neatly as he could before he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in."

Leila Bronnikova walked in, wearing a simple lab coat over whatever clothes she put on that Saturday spring morning.

"It's ready." said Aaron with a smile.

"Oh good, and here's your copies back of the mystery story on Aaronworld-1924, the clockpunk adventure on Aaronworld-1516 and the Russian western on Aaronworld-1720." replied Leila.

They made their trade before Aaron remarked "I'll file these back in the boxes. Do you get that you were the connecting thread between all 3 stories?"

"No, how is that possible?"

Aaron cleared his throat, "You were 1 of the ones to take down the killer in the mystery story, I squeezed in your penchant for languages in the clockpunk story and the Vodka Western takes place in your native Russia. Those special interquels I put between each story have you as a character."

Leila (literally) kicked herself for not noticing that sooner. "I wish these worlds were real, even though you would be in hell in each one inside."

Aaron nodded and said "To be honest, I wish they were real too. As much as I know being here is what's best for me, even I wonder what the world is like outside of my private room in the Glenwood Springs Sanitarium once in a while. Don't worry, Doctor Bronnikova depression is still my strong suit of illness and not delusion."

It was a sanitarium in his home state of Colorado that housed him, and Dr. Bronnikova was just 1 of his doctors.

"Did you work all of us doctors into this poker story?"

"Oh I did. I even worked in some of your penchants for buying storage units into a TV show. I wrote Susan and Tina out after they transferred as they stopped working here shortly after I began writing this story. Phoenix and Harley left not long ago, and I was so close to finishing that I decided to not change anything about them."

"Was it still therapeutic for you to write it though?" asked Dr. Bronnikova.

"Oh it was. Especially after Robbie died. He was 1 of my only visitors from my family to come see me. I'll miss him forever."

To break up the sadness filling Aaron, Dr. Pauletich waved as he walked by Aaron's door (which was still open).

"A lot of your family are scared of you, we went over this many times before." reminded Dr. Bronnikova

"I know, and I stopped blaming them not long after my writing began. Mainly because I realized that if they had continued to force me into society against my will I'd either be dead or even more internally broken than I am."

"I don't think it can get more broken than attempting suicide in front of your family at a funeral for your uncle Rick."

It was an autumn day in the fall of 1989 when Aaron had decided that he had identified more with the dead than the living (even wishing to join the dead), and attempted to cut his wrists with a kitchen knife at his Aunt Octavia's house. His entire family (understandably) went into panic mode and due to the lack of time Aaron had spent in Canada, a judge ruled that he had to be committed in the United States as his Canadian Citizenship had not yet arrived. He had bounced between states before settling back in his state of birth of Colorado. His case had grown famous around the world in many psychiatric circles, so doctors had come and gone throughout the years who wanted to work on him and only him. His cousin Robbie was a regular visitor (until he was too sick from brain cancer to be on a plane), and so was his Mother, but that was it. Given what Aaron had put his family through almost 25 years ago and how expensive flying on a plane had become, he did not blame the rest of his family 1 bit for ignoring him completely.

"Autism, rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, avoidant personality disorder and persistent depressive disorder. It's amazing that I'm still alive and that the medications didn't become useless to me even sooner. I suppose that even writing will lose its' therapeutic value to me, someday."

Dr. Bronnikova nodded as a beeping noise emitted from her watch.

"I have to go get breakfast, we'll talk later."

"Of course Doctor, thank you."

Leila took her leave as Aaron began to file away the stories that she returned to him. He then took a step back and looked at the boxes. From left to right, each stack of boxes were arranged by "Novel", "Novella" and "Short Story" and then sorted further by Aaronworld numerical order top to bottom.

"So many worlds I've written, so many more in my broken mind"

The End?


End file.
